Don't You Know
by Eradicated Illness
Summary: Wufei's hit an emotional rockbottom, a slow descent that has left him gasping for air. Will his secret admirer be able to bring him up again? ?x5 yaoi, romance, angst, postwar, preventers
1. Chapter 1

"Kyaa! Fei-kun, look at this! It's _huge_!"

Duo Maxwell, a man who in his youth was never given anything, loved presents. Wufei allowed himself a small, and secretive, smile at the look on Duo's face. The box of chocolates _was_ positively huge, ten inches on each side and four tiers of caramels, nougats, and creams. Someone was going to have fun brushing their teeth later that night.

"Fei, have some." The maniac slid the box over to him with a slight shove. The glossy gold paint slid easily across the few feet of polished wood, leaving nary a mark nor sound behind, aside from a small whisper.

Wufei shoved it back. "No, but thank you."

Leaning over their desks—for once Wufei regretted pushing the two together in the middle of the room—Duo waggled the box under his partner's nose. The edge pressed into his hips and he poked one leg out into the air to balance himself. "Come on! You know you want to!" His leery grin beckoned Wufei into his strange, dark, little world of candies and cakes.

Wufei grimaced, and reluctantly—well, not entirely so—took one that looked like a promising caramel. "Aren't you going to read the card?" he inquired. The white envelope, thick enough for the card to still be inside, was blatantly still sealed where it sat on the golden box's cover in striking contrast to the sparkles. He could see the tape holding it down and 'Duo Maxwell' scribbled nervously on the front, as if the giver had been unsure as to what he was allowed to call the braided ex-pilot. The handwriting had a definite masculine touch however; Maxwell would have a harder time throwing him off than his female pursuers.

Duo grinned, "Yeah, yeah, I'll even send a thank you note. But first," he grabbed the box, the first, empty, brown wrappers fluttering to the floor, and dashed to the back room, which they had set up with numerous state-of-the-art computers all connected to the Preventers network (as well as a few others secretly patched in from local and worldwide police forces). "Hey, 'Ro! Want some chocolate?" Yuy worked in there most of the time, searching for… well, anything that looked suspicious. He was there in near-constant vigil, scanning reports, articles, and security feeds.

A resounding 'no' floated out of the room and Duo pulled his head back out with a wry grin on his face. He strolled back to his desk with an air of nonchalance about him and sat back down. "Now if only that man was as much of a chocolate fiend as you, Wuffers."

Wufei sputtered and almost spit the chocolate he had been nibbling on out onto his hand in its entirety, but managed to choke it down at the last second, and all of this not because of the bastardization of his name. "_Chocolate fiend_!"

"Hell, yeah, you're already reaching for your second piece." He gazed at him slyly through his long eyelashes.

The man across from him snatched his hand back and turned an interesting shade of red, looking completely scandalized. "I did _not_ intend—"

"It's all in the subconscious, buddy." Duo tapped his temple with a finger. "But if it makes ya feel better, I love it too."

"If you're suggesting that I cannot control—"

"I'm not suggestin' anything." He shrugged his shoulders and lifted his hands in the universal gesture of 'I don't know'. "In fact, I happen to know on good authority that _all_ you keep in your refrigerator is carrots and broccoli!"

"_I have more tha—_"

"Okay, tea too, but that doesn't count as edible—"

"_MAXWELL!_"

Immediately, the lid was placed on the chocolates, and the box found its way to the corner of Duo's desk, dropped down in the middle of his 'take-home' pile, and he had profile sheets in front of him. He checked his watch, counted two seconds, and declared, "Welp, lunch break's over!" and set to work.

However, the other ex-pilot wasn't quite as quick at getting back to the grueling details of after-mission-recap, slowed by his grumbled curses and threats, most, if not all, directed towards his partner, and sounding very similar to "'Lunch break's over', I'll break your neck!" and repeated rather colorfully in several languages.

It was enough to cover the quiet chuckle that echoed from the inside room.

"Wufei, are you gay?"

When his coughing fit subsided, caused undoubtedly by the water he'd inhaled into his lungs when his companion posed his question, Wufei croaked and wheezed until his air passage was clear enough to give him back his voice.

"_What!_"

"Are you gay?" Tactfully, Duo waited until Wufei's water glass was no where near him before asking again.

The rest of the clientele of the small café slowly began to make noise again as they went about their business, recovering quickly from their surprise at the seemingly stable young man's outburst. A little girl was still making excited noises but her mother was quick to calm her down with a wary eye on the two teens.

"What kind of question is that!"

Duo shrugged and traced the rim of his glass shyly, peering up at Wufei's stunned face through his eyelashes. "Because I love you."

Wufei's face paled considerably and he began to inch his chair backwards. "W-what?"

But it was too late, as Duo rose to his feet in one smooth movement and leaned over the table, moving to cup his partner's cheeks in his hands. A hot blush formed where they landed. He brought their faces together and, when they were barely an inch apart, broke out a toothy grin at the other's stuttering protests. "Now gimme a smooch, Fei-babe!"

Wufei threw himself backwards as the first kissing sounds erupted from Maxwell's lips in a tangle of limbs, some his and some the chair's. He was brought back to reality by Duo's peals of laughter.

"Kekeke, I really had you going on that one didn't I?"

"That was not funny, Maxwell!" Wufei growled as he righted both himself and his chair. He brushed a few strands of loosened hair behind his ear and tried to once again ignore the people staring at them. "If you're going to invite me out to luncheon under the illusion that something intelligent _might_ come out of your mouth, just to ask me _personal questions_ and _embarrass me_ in front of countless onlookers—"

"'Fei, calm down. No one's even looking anymore."

"That's not the point—!"

"The point is, are you gay or not?" Duo looked perfectly serious, despite his previous mischief, with his fingers woven together beneath his chin and his elbows on the table.

Wufei stared at him, manners be damned. After a moment he stood up. "I have work to finish." He was already to the door by the time Duo hurriedly tossed cash onto the table. He heard footsteps echoing after him on the hot sidewalk. He tucked another bit of hair behind his ear.

"Wufei! Wait up! Come on, man!"

He stopped when Duo caught his arm. "Look, if it makes you that uncomfortable, I won't ask again. I just wanted t'get to know ya," he ran his hand through his bangs, "I feel like I don't know anything about you."

Wufei looked at him closely, staring down his nose. "Why start with my sexuality? Why not my favorite color, or why I fought the war or my past?"

They fell into step beside each other, used to the company, as they trudged back to the Preventers building.

Duo shrugged gain, "When you're right, you're right. Not that I was lying or anything. I do know stuff about you, loads of stuff actually, but we could probably get to _know_ know each other a little better. Y'know, like savoir and connaitre. Comme je te sais mais je ne te connais pas—"

"Your French is atrocious."

"Tais-toi."

They lapsed into silence and continued walking that way, side by side. They passed other agents on break, seated at the various restaurants, cafes, and delis found along the sides of the street. The Preventers' building came into view and within minutes they were at the door. Wufei paused for a moment, and Duo walked past him and was already opening the large door, getting fingerprints all over the glass instead of using the handle, before he noticed.

"'Fei? You comin'? You've been awful quiet."

Wufei rolled his eyes and bit back the automatic 'speak for yourself' that had been forming on his tongue. It was enough to calm the nervous flutter in his stomach and free his tongue, which suddenly seemed rather swollen. "Well, that is… er… if you really want to know, I don't know. I've never really—thought about it." He shifted uncomfortably.

Duo's eyebrows quirked in surprise. "You didn't just assume you were straight?"

He watched as Wufei pushed past him and entered the building. Without looking back, Wufei said, "If there's one thing I've learned in this lifetime, it's not to assume anything, Maxwell."

_tbc..._

A/N: Hiiiiiiiiii. I'm back from the dead. As for a few notes about the fic: it'll be ANGSTY (of course). What else did you expect from me? I mean really, you guys know me. So, leave a review if you have something to say and I'll get the next part up as soon as I have a few more parts written. Also: SURPRISE PAIRING. Lol not so much a surprise if you know my tastes.

And now a couple of plugs:

1) My fanfiction archive: The Ventilation Shaft- http/ Tasuku, my fanfiction contest- http/ enter this lol. It's very loose so you can't enter almost anything, you know? There aren't many restrictions. Do take care to read the rules though.

3) Free webhosting: my webhost gives me space and bandwidth up the ASS, so if you want some, pop me a line: My only requirements are that you have some GW material and abide by US laws (content-wise) so I don't get arrested. There are no ads and no other obligations.


	2. Chapter 2

He needed something. Wufei couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that there was something missing in his life. Something was.. well, it wasn't _gone_ per se because it had never been there to begin with, but it _should_ have been there.

That was his thought as he lay sprawled uncharacteristically across his couch in the living room/kitchen of his small apartment. He was on his back on the clean, white cushion covers with one arm trailing off the edge, the knuckles just brushing the floor, and the fingers of his other hand splayed upon his belly. His tee shirt hugged his torso and rode a few inches up his abdomen, displaying the small trail of black hair that fell away into the waistband of his gray sweat pants. The white of the full moon came in through the blinds in the large front window, striping him with the weak light. A flimsy, empty, plastic tray sat haphazardly on the black braided rug by his hand, decorated with a few leftover crumbs of chocolate. It was one of the tiers from Maxwell's box. He'd gone to the lavatory around seven and upon his return had found it on his desk with a note from Duo, reminding him that if he ever needed to talk, he was there. Yuy and the idiot had left for home.

Wufei growled and turned onto his side, facing the back of the couch. His feet angled inwards and he crossed his ankles, letting his toes curl together. His arm was folded and tucked under his head, his hand cupping the base of his skull, and he rested his other hand upon the jutting elbow. His hair was loose about his face. It fell into his eyes before he tucked it behind one ear.

Why the idiot Maxwell would think something was wrong was beyond him. He hadn't given any implications of such problems!

Not that there were problems… There was just… something missing.

He glared darkly at the back of the couch. The chocolate was starting to upset his stomach. He hadn't eaten dinner. _This is highly unusual behavior_, a small, objective voice inside of him noted. And it _was_ unusual. Chang Wufei always ate dinner. He didn't consume a half pound of chocolate in a single sitting. He worked until ten, was in bed by eleven, and never, _never_ moped around. Ever.

He _had_ worked 'til ten. And the chocolate had been gone by eleven. His toes uncurled and curled again. It was almost midnight. And all he'd done was lay there like some _woman_ pining after… well, something. Whatever women were prone to pining over. Men, most likely.

He huffed and rolled onto his other side, swinging his feet down to the floor and sitting up. Wiggling his toes, he sighed. He rather liked this rug.

He got up and went to bed.

- - - - -

The next day, work was treacherously slow. After-mission recap always was. He'd finished his report yesterday as well as the profile sheets. The mission itself had been achingly boring, a dead fish, a false alarm. He, Heero, and Duo had sloshed their way around a marsh for a good three days, camping out in damp sleepingbags on the little bits of high ground they managed to find, which did not prevent him from waking up with wet socks. He was expecting a cold any day. As it turned out, the terrorist activity at an old Oz base, deactivated since the war, was simply a gang of street kids making themselves look tough. Wufei sighed, three of Preventers' top agents for a measly gang of teenagers! And worst of all was Maxwell and Yuy's _friendship_. Yes, he was glad they were such good friends. No, it did not bother him. But they always had to be so damn _friendly_ to each other, telling jokes, sharing stories, and doing general _friend_ things. Wufei had felt… excluded. Especially with the way Duo kept winking and Heero kept throwing him the strangest looks. He'd ended up dragging his sleeping bag elsewhere and getting even more wet so he wouldn't have to listen to their amicable chatter. Not that Heero chattered, but Duo chattered enough for both of them. And not that they purposely excluded him. He'd just felt… like he didn't belong.

Everyone knew Wufei was only teamed up with them because there was no one else of his caliber available. And Une wouldn't let him go it alone. He would have preferred that.

He rubbed his temples. _Why am I so depressed all of a sudden?_

"Hey Wu, you all right?" Duo stood in the doorway of his office, having inconveniently come back from a late lunch with Barton.

Wufei stared at his paper-bagged sandwich and banana. He'd forgotten to eat again. He picked up his pen. "I'm busy."

He could hear the other sigh in exasperation. "I didn't _ask_ if you were busy. I _asked_ if you were all right."

"I'm fine."

"You are not!" Duo snorted, "Now tell me about it!" He dragged his chair around the desks to Wufei's side and sat in it backwards, resting his arms and chin on the back and pushing himself around a little with his feet. He knew investing in a wheeled chair couldn't be anything but good.

Wufei sighed again and put his pen back down. He could never resist Maxwell's persistent nature. And... he'd said he was a friend. "I don't know. I feel sort of empty."

"Empty down here?" Duo poked him in the stomach. "Because you didn't eat lunch."

Wufei smacked him across the head. "Baka. Here." He placed his palm flat on his chest. "And here. Everywhere in here. It feels like if I don't fill it up, my ribs will cave in." Wufei drummed his fingers against his chest. He'd never thought to make such an admission, to Maxwell no less, but he had made it and he would live with it. It wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"Oh, oh, ooooooooh! _That!_" Duo drawled, "That's fairly simple to fix once you're on the right path."

"And what path would that be?" Wufei asked warily. If this was one of Maxwell's tricks…

"You need—" here he paused for effect, "A lover."

"A _what!_" Wufei exclaimed vehemently, "You're kidding me! You think I have _time_ for something like that?"

"There you go again! Always making excuses for your lack of a love life! You're fucking seventeen years old! Act like it!"

Wufei flushed a hot red. "That doesn't mean I need to be screwing with every person that comes my way!"

"I didn't _say_ that! No one _said_ that! Why do you _assume_ these things? All you're doing is justifying your loneliness! And don't fucking argue that you're not lonely because that's what that fucking thing in your chest is! Fucking God, 'Fei!" Duo was breathing quite heavily, having spurted most everything in a single breath. "Why won't you let us help you? Why do you keep making up these excuses?"

"They're not excuses! They're quite legitimate!" snapped Wufei. He buried his face in his hands. He did _not_ need to put up with this. Not now, not ever.

"'I don't have time,'" Duo whined at him, "'I won't get as much work done.' 'Some things are more important than my social life.' 'No one will like me anyway.' Don't even test that last one, 'Fei, you know for a fact that you use it, even if you don't tell anyone."

Wufei did indeed know this and sank into his chair. "Well this is the last time I talk to you about anything personal! And what would you have me do, Maxwell? I am not a sociable person—"

"Stop. Just stop. Okay? Here's what we're gonna do: I know this guy. He's kinda tallish, dead strong but not over-muscled, eyes as blue as cornflowers I swear. Man, he's cute—"

Heero stuck his head out the doorway of the little backroom. "Duo!" he hissed, "Stop harassing Chang and come help me with this!" He retreated back inside, a tight scowl on his face.

"Well, all right, we'll finish this later, 'kay, 'Fei?" He ran after Heero.

Wufei heard their terse arguing, muted by their harsh whispers, but he didn't care. His head was throbbing and he could feel the stress building up in his jaw. He didn't need this. He didn't need this at all.

He tried to read the sheets in front of him but the words blurred before his eyes. "Fuck," he muttered, "I can't do this now." Gathering up the pages, he roughly shoved his chair underneath his desk and drifted out the door. He didn't bother to say goodbye.

A/N: So this is the second chapter :D yatta! Lol. I've noticed something in my writing lately. I focus more on the personal relationships and less on outside events. :P I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I'm satisfied with it. Please R and R with what you think.


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